- A new neighbor asks what you do. Complete: "Eu ___ estudante do ensino médio."
Answer: sou
Occupations and identity use ser, and the eu form is sou: "Eu sou estudante do ensino médio." Estou is tempting because both verbs mean "to be," but estar describes temporary states like feelings or locations.
- Which correctly says "I've lived in São Paulo for two years" (and still live there)?
Answer: Eu moro em São Paulo há dois anos.
Portuguese uses the present tense plus há for something still going on: "Eu moro em São Paulo há dois anos." Using por copies English "for" and sounds wrong for ongoing time. Morei há dois anos means "two years ago."
- You want to ask a new friend how long they have lived in the city. Complete: "Há ___ tempo você mora aqui?"
Answer: quanto
"Há quanto tempo você mora aqui?" asks how long someone has lived here, because quanto tempo means how much time. Quando looks and sounds similar, but it means when and cannot measure a length of time.
- Complete the small-talk question: "O que você ___ nos fins de semana?" (fazer)
Answer: faz
Você uses the third-person singular verb, so the form is faz: "O que você faz nos fins de semana?" Faço is tempting, but it is the eu form, used when you answer about yourself.
- Choose the correct translation: "How was your weekend?"
Answer: Como foi o seu fim de semana?
The weekend is already over, so use the past tense of ser that agrees with it: foi. "Como fui..." is tempting because fui is also past tense, but it is the eu form and means "I was."
